LOS ANGELES — Moviegoers had an appetite for fright this weekend, sending “Insidious: Chapter 2” to the top of the box office.

The haunted-house horror sequel debuted in first place with $41 million, more than tripling the opening take of the 2010 original.

Debuting on Friday the 13th, FilmDistrict’s “Insidious: Chapter 2” scored the highest September opening day ever, said box-office analyst Paul Dergarabedian of Hollywood.com.

“It was a perfect release date for this movie,” he said. “James Wan has cracked the code on making great horror movies.”

The director had another first-place opener earlier this summer with the “The Conjuring,” another haunted-house thriller starring Patrick Wilson. Wilson returns in “Insidious 2,” playing a husband and father with some scary personal baggage.

“It’s great to be in business with Blumhouse Productions and James Wan,” he said. “They’re just ridiculously talented and delivered a phenomenal film.”

Another newcomer, the Robert De Niro-Michelle Pfeiffer crime caper “The Family,” opened in second place with $14.5 million. That bumped last week’s champ, “Riddick,” to third.

“Lee Daniels’ The Butler” continued its strong performance with a fourth-place finish that saw North American ticket sales cross the $100 million mark.

The Jennifer Aniston-Jason Sudeikis road-trip comedy “We’re the Millers” rounded out the top five.

Both “The Butler” and “We’re the Millers” have been in theaters for more than a month, contributing to a hearty box-office that’s been up the past four consecutive weeks after a record-breaking summer season.

“These movies have legs week after week, and that’s bolstering the entire marketplace,” Dergarabedian said. “If you just have the brand-new movies doing well and the holdovers are dropping like rocks, then you have a problem.”